Dynatron and GEC - Follow-up chat :)

[Nickthedentist]

The following discussion was split from this offer thread https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ead.php?t=5734

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Originally Posted by Radio_Doctor

It was in the doctors mess of the Eastern General Hospital, Edinburgh till then (where I worked in 1992). Full story available if anyone interested.

Are you a medical doctor (as well as the Radio_Doctor), Kneale?

Nick.

[Radio_Doctor]

Yes - I was a Senior House Officer at EGH at the time. Always had my eye on the GEC but was told I couldn't have it. One evening after a shift I came out and found it on the top of a skip. It came home with me.

I remember being upset that the management wouldn't give me it (the mess was being refurbished), then it was thrown out. All seems a little trivial now.

The GEC has seen 3 house moves and been in storage twice. I have I guess 200 radios, it just never get to the top of the list.

Kneale

[Nickthedentist]

Hope you find a good home for your radios, Kneale.

There's a nice photo of a GEC set like yours on Duke Nukem's site here: http://www.thevalvepage.com/radios/gec/gec4040/gec4040.htm

A lovely set, with quite an American feel to it, apparently just pre-war. Shame I don't live in Norwich

Originally Posted by Radio_Doctor

Yes - I was a Senior House Officer at EGH at the time.

Very interesting, glad I'm not the only medical person here

Originally Posted by Radio_Doctor

Always had my eye on the GEC but was told I couldn't have it. One evening after a shift I came out and found it on the top of a skip. It came home with me.

I had a similar experience with some lovely 1950s Bakelite clocks from the Birmingham General Hospital, which was being closed and re-modelled to become the Childrens' Hospital.

The clocks were up on the wall in a long-abandoned kitchen area that hadn't seen any cooking for several decades by the look of it. When everyone had moved out and before the demolition crew moved in, I asked the security guards whether I could have them. I was told that they were surplus to requirements, and yes, they would probably be destroyed when the building was taken down, but no, I couldn't have them because of "the rules"

I made a fuss, and was virtually frog-marched to a room full of old ladies (the Friends of the hospital, apparently). I told them my story and they obviously thought I was mad. But they said I could have them "for a donation". I gave them a fiver (seemed like a lot to a 3rd year student!) and I still have them to this day.

I had to stand on a rickety old trolley to get them down, which was dangerous enough (no brakes).

I assumed that their supply had been disconnected as they were both "stuck" at the same time, and having no tools, had to just rip the wires out of the clock connectors that supplied their power.

The sparks that followed made me say something quite rude. Of course, I hadn't realised that they were manual-start clocks, and so could quite easily appear lifeless even though their mains supply was present

Nick.

[jay_oldstuff]

Originally Posted by Nickthedentist

I assumed that their supply had been disconnected as they were both "stuck" at the same time, and having no tools, had to just rip the wires out of the clock connectors that supplied their power.

The sparks that followed made me say something quite rude. Of course, I hadn't realised that they were manual-start clocks, and so could quite easily appear lifeless even though their mains supply was present

Nick.

Been there done that

anyway Kneale can you put up a pic of the GEC i could be interested
thanks
Jay

[Paul Stenning]

Although most interesting, this is drifting seriously OT. Rather than closing it, I will attempt to split it.......

[Paul Stenning]

Done!